Clear Flow

Report form
Display Cards
Hero Section
Form Intro
Map
Admin Map

Inspiration

After a talk with Mary Jane Nirdlinger, we learned about several problems facing Chapel Hill, including clogged storm drains. Clogged drains cause street flooding, property damage, and polluted runoff that carries trash and debris into local creeks, and because they often go unnoticed until a heavy rain, they're hard for the town to monitor at scale. While brainstorming, we realized we could tie this problem to the HackNC tracks.

What it does

Clear Flow lets residents report clogged or damaged storm drains through a website or iMessage. AI analyzes submitted photos, identifies potential issues, and displays reports on an interactive map, so city officials can track and respond to them.

How we built it

We used React and TypeScript for the frontend, Node.js and Express for the backend, and Tiger Data's PostgreSQL database to store reports and track incidents over time. We integrated Google Gemini for AI-powered image analysis and Photon Spectrum for reporting through iMessage.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was connecting multiple services into one reliable reporting system. We also had to figure out how to accurately identify drainage problems from photos and handle reports of the same location.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of creating a practical solution to a real problem in Chapel Hill. Bringing together AI, community reporting, and an interactive map helped us turn a local concern into something residents could benefit from.

What we learned

We learned how to integrate AI, messaging, and geospatial data into a single application. More importantly, we learned how technology can make it easier for communities to address everyday infrastructure problems.

What's next for Clear Flow

We want to work with Chapel Hill to test Clear Flow with real residents, improve report accuracy, and eventually expand to other communities and infrastructure issues.